Topical issues

OPINION: Direct Entry has been met with some hostility from police officers - but what is the problem it's meant to solve? Serving officer Gareth Stubbs looks at the insularity of the police service and what Direct Entry might offer to forces.

OPINION: At a time when police are facing significant organisational change, it's increasingly important that rank and file officers are engaged with this process. Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University makes the case for listening more closely to officers - and backs @West_Response's call for the introduction of a front line impact assessment.

Analysis: Former Assistant Chief Constable for Greater Manchester Police Ian Wiggett examines the options facing law enforcement following the terror attack in Westminster last month.

Exclusive: The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, responds to a recent article in Policing Insight critical of the Emergency Services Network. Brandon Lewis MP explains why the government is working to move from the TETRA radio communications system, known as Airwave, currently in use by the police, ambulance and fire and rescue service, to a national integrated network using 4G Long Term Evolution mobile technology

OPINION: The death of Ian Tomlinson in 2009 during the G20 protests led to a fundamental re-examination of public order policing in the UK. But why has that learning not been embedded in the policing of football crowds? Chief Superintendent Owen West of West Yorkshire Police reports from an expert seminar at Keele University, and asks what are the police waiting for?

OPINION: Surveillance cameras have proliferated in recent years, leading the government to establish a commissioner responsible for overseeing their governance. Prof. William Webster examines the Commissioner's new strategy for surveillance - and warns that any regulatory framework needs to be able to keep up with a rapid pace of change.

Opinion: The safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults has scarcely been out of the headlines in recent years. Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners have reiterated their commitment to making safeguarding a priority and improving their response. But well-publicised failings relating to late intervention and subsequent loss of life have sadly been all too common. Imran Razzaq, Director, Public Sector, MarkLogic UK, Ireland & EU, examines the issues.

Analysis: With BME recruitment, progression and retention rates still low, former ACC Karen Vanterpool Daber, once one of the UK's most senior female Black officers, asks why the service is still having the same debate about BME officers and how it needs to change.

Analysis: Crime is becoming increasingly corporate and global in nature with highly-organised crime syndicates able to exploit the latest technology. Rob Wainwright, director of Europol, outlines the latest challenges and trends. 

OPINION: What do we think of when we think of police leadership? Serving officer Gareth Stubbs warns that traditional perceptions of how leaders look and behave may no longer be fit for purpose given the challenges facing policing.

OPINION: Many serving officers may feel that the College of Policing is a distant organisation, doing things to them, rather than for them. Serving officer Dan Reynolds makes a critical appraisal of the work of the College and how its work can be beneficial for officers on the ground.

Opinion: Former chief constable of the British Transport Police Andy Trotter OBE QPM, reflects on the terror attack that took place in London last week and the challenges it presents the service. 

OPINION: Following the attack on Westminster, the focus has rightly been on the bravery and sacrifice of the uniformed public services. But behind the scenes, the work of communications staff prevented the public's horror from turning into panic. Dan Slee of comms2point0 analyses the public sector comms response.

ANALYSIS: The fifth of a monthly series in which CoPaCC's Sandra Andrews takes a look at some of the most interesting and topical issues that Police and Crime Panels across England and Wales are dealing with. This month, Sandra looks at Leicestershire and North Wales, both of which were examining key issues in their Police and Crime Plans.

NEWS: The Metropolitan Police is likely to face as much as £400 million in fresh budget cuts this year. Martin Hoscik of Mayorwatch talks to Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey about the scale of the cuts and the "essential" changes right across the force.

Analysis: Following the introduction of the Policing and Crime Act 2017, Police and Crime Commissioners will assume responsibility for delivering a local police complaints system. Policing Insight takes a look at the different approaches PCCs are planning to adopt. 

OPINION: Ethnography has one of the longest traditions in police research. Dr Mike Rowe of Liverpool University explains how ethnographic research can offer an understanding of the work and role of police officers that other types of research cannot reach.

Analysis: England and Wales' Policing Vision 2025 and Scotland's Policing 2026 outline where the police service sees itself, both north and south of the border, in ten years time. Former Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett assesses both strategies and considers whether ambition can be turned into reality.

OPINION: If academia is serious about working with the police, does it need to make its research outputs more useful to those who might use them? Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University makes the case for integrating practitioners into the process of research at every level.

ANALYSIS: Following the recent critical reports on police effectiveness from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), Warwick Business School Professor Kevin Morrell analyses how the pressures of austerity have affected both what the police can do and what HMIC can measure.

News Feature: Forces need to prepare for another surge in hate crime and make sure victims are confident to report incidents as the deadline approaches for invoking Article 50 this month and Britain negotiates its exit from the European Union, according to a national charity tackling the issue across the UK.

OPINION: NPCC lead for child protection, Simon Bailey, recently hit the headlines for suggesting police needed to focus limited resources on those who had physically abused children. Dr Natalie Mann of Anglia Ruskin University warns that those who view images often go on to abuse children, and what's needed is sufficient funding to treat all sex offenders equally.

OPINION: The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners' (APCC) ‘Policing Vision 2025’ sets out a vision of transformational change across the whole of policing. Dr Stephen Brookes, Senior Fellow in Public Policy and Leadership at the University of Manchester, outlines the key leadership questions that will shape policing over the course of the next ten years.

ANALYSIS: Recent revelations of abuse by football coaches highlights the vulnerability of children to exploitation. But are the police as well prepared as they could be to deal with such allegations? Dr Graham Hill, founder of Behaviour Analysis at the UK Child Exploitation Online Protection centre (CEOP), argues that police need to improve their understanding of why perpetrators abuse children, if they are to improve child protection.